Why daily performance tracking delivers better customer service

Manufacturing performance is often measured through quality, delivery and customer service. The difference lies in how quickly that information is acted upon.

At Glazerite, customer feedback, quality reports and production performance are reviewed every day across every manufacturing site. The approach gives teams the information they need to resolve issues quickly, keep customers informed and make continuous improvements throughout the manufacturing process.

The results speak for themselves. Over the last five years, customer complaints at Glazerite’s Bolton site have reduced by more than 75%. On-time, in-full delivery performance has improved by more than 30%, with the site now averaging 98.5% on-time, in-full delivery. Production non-conformance reports account for less than 1% of overall output.

For Darren Rhodes, Managing Director (Bolton & Barnsley), those improvements come down to consistency and communication.

“We track everything every day,” he said.

“If we receive a complaint from a customer, which is inevitable in manufacturing, we don’t wait until the end of the month to review it. We look at it straight away, understand what happened and decide what action needs to be taken.”

Every Glazerite manufacturing site follows the same daily operating structure.

Production teams hold regular SIM meetings throughout the day, bringing together supervisors and production managers to review quality, manufacturing performance and any non-conformance reports or delivery issues raised during the previous 24 hours.

Those discussions allow teams to identify trends, investigate issues and make decisions while production is still in progress.

Alongside the production meetings, Glazerite’s management team holds a daily stand-up meeting to review manufacturing performance against production targets and customer deliveries scheduled for the following day.

The meeting also covers stock availability, operational performance, quality, health and safety, allowing information to be shared quickly across the business.

For Darren, reviewing performance every day creates opportunities to solve problems before they affect customers.

“If we’ve got a quality issue within the process, we can stop it,” he explained.

“Hopefully we stop it leaving the business, and if there is going to be an impact on the customer, we’ll tell them. Sometimes we’ve identified an issue and there may be a delay while we make a better product, but we’d much rather have that conversation than send something out that doesn’t meet the standard we’re aiming for.”

That commitment to communication continues after production.

Each afternoon, Glazerite’s customer care team contacts customers to confirm delivery times for the following day, helping installers plan labour, installations and site activity with greater confidence.

For busy installers managing multiple projects, that information can make a significant difference to the working day.

Knowing when products will arrive allows installation schedules to be organised more effectively while reducing uncertainty on site.

Keeping customers informed has become an important part of the overall service experience.

For Darren, regular communication helps strengthen relationships because customers understand what is happening with their orders throughout the manufacturing process.

“If there is an issue, we tell people” he said.

“Customers appreciate being kept informed because it allows them to plan. Good communication builds trust, and that’s something that’s important to us.”

The daily review process also supports continuous improvement across the wider business.

Information gathered through customer complaints, production reports and delivery performance helps teams identify recurring issues, share best practice between sites and make small improvements every day.

Over time, those improvements have contributed to stronger operational performance across the business.

Reducing customer complaints by more than 75%, achieving 98.5% on-time, in-full delivery and maintaining production non-conformance reports below 1% reflects the value of consistently reviewing performance and acting on the information available.

For installers, the benefits are clear.

Reliable deliveries help projects stay on schedule. Strong quality performance reduces the likelihood of remakes and delays. Regular communication provides confidence that any issues will be identified quickly and managed openly.

For Darren, maintaining that focus requires commitment every day.

“The figures are important because they show we’re moving in the right direction, but they don’t happen by accident,” he said.

“They come from people reviewing information every day, talking to each other and making improvements whenever they see an opportunity.”

Those principles now form part of the way every Glazerite manufacturing site operates, creating a consistent approach to quality, customer service and operational performance across the business.

As Darren concluded: “We’re always looking at how we can improve.

“It’s about making sure we’re producing the best product we can, delivering it when we say we will and keeping our customers informed every step of the way.”

For more information email sales@glazerite.net or call 01933 443222.